#20 FLIRT

April 12, 2017

The Flirt – Mim Roeder

In my mind I am being charmingI see myself, glancing casuallyEyes dewy, lashes battingSimple smile full of promiseSipping slowly through pursed lipsLittle tug on lip with teethAlluring speech, all esses and emmsNot too many words, small phrases

In my mind I am enticingMoon-kissed skin peekingFrom unbuttoned shirtShadows leading to secretPlaces yet to be discoveredCurve of wrist and pulsingNeckline revealing pulsing heartShort hem and tender back of knee

In reality, however, I become awareMy glance is awkward stareEye waters from running makeupLipstick stuck on teeth, and broccoliNervous sip leads to near death chokingSputtering spitting guffawsStuttering tees and dumbfounded deesCatastrophe embodied in my display

In The Deep End With Wendy Peffercorn – Oh Dae-su

The blonde smiling by the corner of the bar tells meshe works the crazy whore for her four year old son.We drink tequila before her late shiftAnd she manages to escape the Downlobefore another creep tries to run his luck.

Someone outside is talkingPoetry but I'm too busy brushing handswith the lamppost like:Hey beautifulWhere'd you find your light?I can never seem to find the moon in the valley.I'm always Lost on Main in the midnight swaths,those swarms of dark blues alwayswelling up in a frenzy of disdain.But you, you're not like all the others.

When the heart of the city calls for mefrom between the sheets of blurry lights,I buy another round of shots for both of usand she promises not to come on too strong.I put my head in my handand pull the paper and plastic from my wallet.We finger the jukebox until last call andshe lights my smokewith the matches I use to burn bridges."Don't tell me you never play with fire"and she's gone before I sign the check.

Samsara – Avo Woovy

Our cheeks are no longer rosy from embarrassment.But instead rosy from a certain anxiety and lack of impulse control to what is pressed at our lips.

And so the infinite dance begins

I throw my body weight around shamelessly, to posture the same wanting, hungry questionMy hips act as punctuationAnd maybe your eyes as syntax

And we both rememberWhere we asked it beforeWe asked in sandboxes,Behind trees playing house,Running around gravel tracks

But it has been the same since,The same splintered waltz with left feetAnd we have received no unanimous answerafter all these years of posing, our brows furrowed

Is this conversation enough,Is this vessel enoughIs this flesh enoughIs this person enough, that stands before youopen like a seventh grade dissection,enough?

Am I enough?

At least,For the very leastAt leastFor tonight

Worthern Tale of Flirtation – Christopher Barry

In the beginning I flirted with notionit was the Lounge Lizard in the bar cornerwho spiked Edgar Allen Poe’s drink at the WorthernKerouac leaned over the bar flirting with formerCatholic school girl flirting with him, under a ceiling fanIt’d been been beyond three decades agoat the Lowell grotto they flirted togetherit moved beyond carnal flirtation, under stations of the crossJesus on a cross nailed right in, opened arms flirting—with sky and heaven

Poe motioned Kerouac with a flirtatious smile and waveJack leaned in, “what you got Edgar, anything good”“I’m flirting with rabies in a gutter in Baltimore election day”they both went up the rickety stairsto the Worthern second floor

She's Such A Flirt – Steve Samons

She's trying a real trike.Such a flirt.

Yielding one unfinished riddle.Such a flirt.

Enacting no genious in never-ending skirts.Such a flirt.

Girlish outlooks. Tough town attitudes.Such a flirt.

Giggling outwardly.Such a flirt.

Fancy apple-shaped temptress.Such a flirt.

Flirter – Izeck Free-World Hempseed

Behave like it mattersAs if it really mattersThough it’s just a gameAttracted to your nameTo blameOr shameTrying makes it feel less lameTo feel like the aimAttract as a distractionSomeone, anyone, make me feel aliveBut just for funFor a little runAmusement goes and comesRather just make snarky punsThan or thenWith or withoutSerious Lee, I rather doubtIntentions matter

Flirting – Bryan Anthony Phoenix

To flirt is to stoke the flame inside the heart of another who wishes to do the same

Flirting is not just some game of how coyly one can smile while repeating a cute person’s name,

nor is it just the battle of banter laced with innuendos and dynamic eyebrow crescendos

Flirting is an impromptu song that tells a story of our souls would get along if not hindered by concepts of right and wrong

To flirt is to recognize the intrinsic beauty of another’s worth while holding a healthy curiosity of what they may look like without a shirt

Flirting is an art form where sharp norms of society are dissolved by soft adornments of sweet supporting words, bright authentic smiles, and the natural playfulness of our wise inner child

Flirting is love’s chance to explore and express the possibility of deeper coalescing,

and whether it lasts for just a moment or leads to kissing and undressing, to flirt is to honor that divine force within us all that is always ready for a blessing

And blessed are the ones who allow the inner flirt to flourish, because flirting is never hurting when done with respect of another’s nourishment

So Go out there lover’s! Flirt to your delight!

It will all come naturally if you just shine your inner light,

always be sure to smile and find that shimmer in the other’s eyes

And the rest will just flow, and who knows, you might just have a good time

Flirt – Dane Mutters

She’s buying watermelons, and I’m trying not to think about crass pickup lines— No matter how funny they would be.So, I’m looking at the asparagus and thinking simultaneously about how I want to cook those ribeyes I bought, and whether asparagus is the side I want to go with them;Meanwhile, the other aspects of my masculinity chime in, suggesting that I really should go over and talk to this girl.

He has brown, almost hazel eyes, and I like the quirky upturn at the corners of her mouth, which could indicate:One, that she has a clever, wry sense of humor; orTwo, that she’s too stupid or crazy to know that it isn’t always appropriate to smile.I try to talk myself out of approaching her, out of some sense of assumed pickiness;But really, it’s because I’m just feeling insecure.

She has a pimple on the right side of her forehead that looks like it’s been therefore a while.Her hair is loose, like she doesn’t know how to use a hair-tie, but tried to, anyway.Her basket is full of “organic” produce, which proves that she doesn’t actually know anything about what constitutes “organic” produce. She must be ignorant.Maybe malnourishment is what’s causing her skin condition.

Then, she goes over to the Red Box, while I’m still stupidly pondering over which bunch of rubber-banded asparagus to buy, or whether to give up on it and buy broccoli, instead, or whether to get the asparagus and some lemon to go with it...that would be good with the Himalayan salt I bought from a different store…And she’s looking at Arrival.

My heart leaps, because that might mean that she has some grasp of the sociological expositions displayed in the film, regarding innate xenophobia in a nation full of immigrants.Perhaps she also likes science fiction that’s about philosophy, instead of special effects. Yes! I’ve met my bride-to-be!

Then, out of the corner of my lemon-filled field of view, I see the colors on the screen shift from silver to red and blue. Must be that new Marvel movie.I like Marvel movies, because they involve some really neat special effects (forget what I said, above), and plenty of blowing stuff up.
And how cerebral they are...obviously.OK, that could work.

Maybe I’m just horny.Well, yeah, but it would be nice to meet someone with assets above the shoulders, too.I guess her below-the-shoulders assets aren’t that bad.

So, I’ve picked out my asparagus and lemons, and I’m really sure I’m ready to talk to her, at which point I realize that I also need to get some red wine to compete the meal.I mean, if I’m going to have a nice dinner with a pretty and intelligent woman (pretty despite the zit and bad hair day...I mean, I’m not that shallow, right?), I should at least have a nice bottle of wine to share with her.Besides, she’s not done picking out her movie, and probably also wants to buy something other than organic produce and the chic flick she finally picked out.

So, I go over and buy a $10 bottle of wine, because I’m classy like that. Yep, no Rex Goliath, this time, even though it’s actually pretty good.

I walk over to the checkout stand, and as it’s time to insert my awkward new chip-card, she’s entering the back of the line at the next stand over. She really is pretty, now that I’m not focusing on the overpriced vegetables.

I absent-mindedly tell the clerk to have a nice day, and then realize that it would be awkward to stand around for two minutes waiting for her to be done checking out.